Honoré de Balzac – The skin of sorrow

In the podcast “Your French baccalaureate with Anissa”, we invite you to revise 12 literary works on the program!

After listening to this episode, you will know more about the author, the historical and literary context, the main themes without forgetting the “little extra info”.

“The Skin of Sorrow” by Honoré de Balzac is the story of Raphaël de Valentin. A ruined man who one day acquires an animal skin, a “skin of sorrow”. This would fulfill all the desires of the one who possesses it. But be careful, because with each wish fulfilled the skin is cruelly reduced, just like the life expectancy of the owner…

So, is it better to live a long but boring life or to live intensely, even in excess, for a shorter period of time? Not an easy question…